What can the UK learn from France's games tax break?

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OPINION: Our games analyst looks at the pros and cons of government involvement

With the topic of tax breaks for games developers still a key talking point amongst studios, Develop contributor Rick Gibson (a partner at Games Investor Conulting) has examined the recently EU-approved French subsidy in a piece online now.

In the piece, Gibson looks at how French protectionism has and hasn't worked for studios in the country, saying "there is a very real question about whether a new tax break for French studios will actually make their sector more sustainable in the long run".

Despite this, and the EU ruling stipulating the qualifying games have a 'cultural' dimension, Gibson adds that the UK industry's sustainability "is under threat from globalisation, not least cold callers from Quebec offering all sorts of goodies. Despite its wealth of games talent, the UK, currently sporting the world’s highest production costs, badly needs a more level playing field to remain competitive in the long run."